First Public Charter School Approved for Birmingham
The Alabama Public Charter School Commission voted this month to approve a request to open STAR Academy, which will be the state’s first charter school and will open in Birmingham. The Birmingham Board of Education denied the request, which left the decision up to the state. Opinions on charter schools in Alabama and Birmingham are contentious. Opponents say charter schools are for-profit institutions that siphon money from public schools. Supports say they give students and parents more educational choices. Hear more about this from Nick Patterson, editor of the weekly newspaper Weld.
Federal judge blocks Trump effort to ban transgender troops from military service
The decision by U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes blocks the Department of Defense from carrying through with a policy directive designed to remove transgender service members from the military.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty sues Trump administration over canceled contract
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, a government-backed overseas broadcaster, sued the Trump administration in an attempt to get it to release funds appropriated by Congress.
Alabama’s celebrity weatherman pleads for the National Weather Service
With the life-saving Weather Service in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump and chainsaw-wielding billionaire Elon Musk, weather forecasters like James Spann are speaking out to defend the agency that provides the backbone for their work.
Aurelio Martínez, ambassador of Garifuna music, has died
The Honduran musician, one of the most recognized proponents of a Caribbean culture dating to the 17th century, died Monday in an airplane crash.
Lady Gaga’s ‘Mayhem’ shakes up the charts at No. 1
As expected, Lady Gaga's Mayhem storms to a No. 1 debut, becoming her seventh album to top the chart.
Vice President Vance has a new gig: fundraising for the Republican National Committee
Vance will be the first sitting vice president to serve as party finance chairman, according to the RNC. The move places a top Trump ally within the party's campaign wing ahead of the 2026 midterms.